1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to medicinal packages, and is particularly concerned with dispensing packages that contain a plurality of individual doses of medicine in the form of pills or capsules so that the individual doses can be easily removed from the package one at a time. The invention is also concerned with such packages which include a reminder system for assisting in accounting for the doses taken, particularly when the patient must take regular doses over a long period of time.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The packaging and dispensing of medicine for patients who must take regular doses over a long period of time poses particular problems for pharmacists or other packagers of the medicine, as well as for medical personnel in hospitals and nursing homes responsible for supplying medicine to individual patients, and to the patient who takes the medicine unsupervised.
Usually, the prescriptions are filled to be taken over a specific number of days, with the doses per day varying from patient to patient. Many medicines, even in the form of pills, tablets or capsules, deteriorate when subjected to high humidity or moisture. Obviously, it is desirable and necessary that each daily dose be isolated in a sanitary compartment.
It is necessary, particularly for unsupervised elderly patients, that the doses be easily removable from the package. It is also particularly desirable for elderly patients to be able to keep track of the doses taken, and to have a visual reminder when it is time to have the prescription refilled.
A type of package particularly useful in this situation is one wherein blisters or pockets are formed in thin plastic sheet material, each of the blisters or pockets having a capacity to contain one or more pills or capsules. Such packages are sometimes provided with a chart or labeled cover with indicia to indicate the day for taking the dosage in each compartment. Examples of this type of package are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,012,405; 2,317,860; 3,324,995; 3,397,671; 3,494,322; 3,780,856; 3,835,995 and 3,899,080.
One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a package of the type referred to in the preceding paragraph that can be easily filled and assembled, and in which the pills can be more easily removed from the package for consumption.
In carrying out the foregoing, and other objects, a package according to the present invention includes a cover portion made up of a layer of relatively stiff material such as paperboard or the like with a vapor layer of metal foil or the like laminated to or bonded to one surface thereof. A container portion of flexible synthetic resin material or the like is bonded to the metal foil surface of the cover portion. The container portion is formed with a plurality of blisters or pockets for containing individual doses, usually in the form of pills or the like.
The outer layer of the cover portion has high strength and stiffness relative to the foil layer. A plurality of disc-like punch-out lids are die cut or otherwise formed in the outer layer of the cover portion. Each of the lids overlies one of the pockets or blisters of the container portion. The lids are held in place by the foil layer.
When it is desired to remove a pill from one of the pockets, the pocket is collapsed toward the cover portion to cause the pill contained therein to press against the associated lid and cause it to separate from the cover portion. The strength and stiffness of the lid is sufficiently high with respect to the same properties of the foil layer that the portion of the foil secured to the lid ruptures easily and separates with the lid from the cover portion. The pill is thus pressed out of the package easily when the pocket or blister containing it is collapsed.
In the manufacture and assembly of the package, the cover portion is first made by laminating aluminum foil to one surface of paperboard. The lids are then die cut into the paperboard such that the lids are held in place primarily by the portion of the inner foil layer to which it is bonded. The container portion may be vacuum formed from a thin sheet of synthetic resin such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC). A coating of polyvinyl chloride is applied to the surface of the inner foil layer of the cover portion. When the doses are placed into the blisters or pockets of the container portion, the cover portion is placed over the container portion with the foil layer resting against the container portion. The surfaces of the container portion between the pockets in contact with the PVC coating of the foil are heat sealed together to seal each of the pockets or blisters. The foil layer serves as a vapor barrier to prevent the entry of moisture into each of the blisters or pockets.
The outer, paperboard layer of the cover portion is preferably printed with indicia over one or more of the pockets to indicate the day when each dose is to be taken. If only a single dose is to be taken each day, the numeral indicating the day overlies only one pocket. If two or more doses are to be taken each day, the numeral indicating the day overlies the number of pockets required for a complete daily dosage.
Other objects, advantages and features of the invention will become apparent from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.